In summer the wind keeps working the north-shore dunes into ridges you cross on boardwalks, then the boardwalks drop to sand under red cliffs. Stanhope and Cavendish are the two campgrounds in Prince Edward Island National Park, a short walk from the beach. Give the campground several nights so mornings start on that sand.
Cavendish puts Green Gables Heritage Place next to camp, close enough that you walk over in the morning. Give Green Gables its morning, then take the Dunelands trails so the afternoon stays in the dunes. Come back to camp on foot.
Stanhope is the quieter first night. In July and August its beach has surf-guard supervision, and some sites have three-way service, electrical, water, and sewer together. If you need more sleeping space than a van, look at RVs for rent in Charlottetown.
Lock the campsite before you commit to the van. Both campgrounds book through the Parks Canada Reservation Service, and camping runs June through September.
Confederation Trail
Ride the Confederation Trail for a day off the sand. The bed is rolled stone dust on old railway grade, with gentle gradients through potato fields and along coastal branches. A branch runs through Charlottetown, so you can start the ride in town.
There is no overnight on the trail, so you ride out and back in a day. It continues well past the national park toward the island's tips. Those east and west ends are the Prince Edward Island trip.
Charlottetown waterfront
Spend a parked day on Charlottetown's waterfront. Peake's Wharf is the boardwalk and the floating patios on the marina. Confederation Landing Park is the lawn and gardens beside it, and the Sunday summer market sets up on that grass. Walk the wharf and the landing while the van stays parked.
You drive onto the island over the Confederation Bridge. The roads off run into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.